Especially Undercovers
by aBsoLutEriOt
Summary: Surely you can understand the classified nature of this mission," SecNav hesitated, knowing them both too well. "Jethro, meet your next wife." What else can I say? Jibbs go undercover.
1. Strictly Classified

**Disclosure: Don't own em.**

_A/N: I had this idea in my head for a little while, so like everybody else I'm crazy busy so I'll have chapters up as soon as I can get to them. Hope everyone enjoys! ;)_

His feet pounded the pavement as he rounded the corner, heading down yet another lonely alley where the bricks were starting to crack out of the slum buildings. Glass crunched under his feet as he sped up, the cold air a harsh awakening to his lungs.

He was used to it. Enjoyed it, actually. Because when this bastard was caught, it was his turn then.

The younger man leapt over a dumpster blocking the middle of the alley, turning to glance over his shoulder at the older man who had surprisingly kept up with him.

A small grin played over his lips as he slowed his pace a little.

His eyes widened when the older man cleared the dumpster with ease, landing on his feet in perfect rhythm to continue the chase.

The younger man turned quickly, speeding his pace up again.

Gibbs scowled, and ducked around a ladder hanging in front of him. This guy was really in for it when he caught him.

Suddenly, the chase was over. The man in question stopped abruptly and fell to his knees, finally face-planting on the ground.

Kneeling down next to him, Gibbs flipped him over and saw white foam seeping from his mouth as the suspect violently shook, choking out the last of his breath. His hand gripped Gibbs' arm tightly, then went limp as Gibbs' fingers went to the man's throat.

Behind him he could hear Dinozzo on the phone, demanding an ambulance.

It was no use.

This marine was dead and their only link to a murder lost.

Her fingertips lightly grazed the banister as she slowly made her way to the stairs, her eyes focused on the man below.

She knew what this case meant to him.

A little girl had been orphaned over a month ago. Her father, a marine, was found dead in their home. The mother had lost her life when the girl had been born and Gibbs had made it his soul mission to find the father's killer.

Even as Director of NCIS she could not stand in his way.

She knew better.

Knew better than to get into his way and try to stop him from his hunt. That lonely little girl was the only thing on his mind and until he found her father's killer, she knew that wouldn't change.

Without taking her eyes off of him, she acknowledged the man who had met her at the top of the stairs.

"SecNav wants a debriefing in ten minutes. I need the whole team present," she spoke softly.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied and turned to make his way back to the bullpen.

Dinozzo knew better than to ask but if SecNav was getting involved, that meant they were treading in deeper water than they thought.

Something was held from them and now they were to the point where SecNav was ready to fill them in completely.

He sighed and watched his feet as he walked, searching his brain for the right way to tell Gibbs.

"Director wants us at MTAC in ten minutes," he informed the team.

Gibbs looked up with dark eyes and pushed out of his chair, breezing by him.

"Ducky's got something," he barked.

Dinozzo glanced at the team before hurrying to catch up with him.

As they approached autopsy, the doors whisped open and a furious Gibbs stormed in. Ducky spared a glance at the team before focusing on the corpse in front of him.

"Lance Corporal Richard Silverman," he began.

The autopsy doors opened once again as Abby rushed in, interrupting Ducky's evaluation.

"Sorry Ducky, but I have the answers to the tox-screen already," she started. "Lance Corporal Silverman was fed enough Speed to kill 3 horses. Nothing hanky about this one. This marine was murdered."

"Someone wanted him to keep his mouth shut," McGee concluded.

As Gibbs stormed out of autopsy, he suddenly had a feeling as to why his team was needed at MTAC and he hoped for Jenny's sake she hadn't kept anything from him.

This was bigger than a marine's murder.

The doors to MTAC slammed shut as the four agents filed in behind their boss.

Before he could start on Jenny, Gibbs noticed SecNav on the screen and stood directly in front of it.

"Sir," Gibbs growled, waiting for an explanation.

"First I want you all to be aware that you're all about to be given classified information. A month ago Gunnery Sergeant Joshua Wallace was found dead in his home. Wallace was secretly in charge of a Top Secret mission in Iraq."

"Which means our Gunnery Sergeant wasn't really a Gunnery Sergeant or else he wouldn't have been fed Top Secret information," Dinozzo piped up.

SecNav continued without responding to his comment. "Your suspect, Lance Corporal Silverman became aware of Wallace's Top Secret mission."

Gibbs shook his head and gave a sarcastic laugh.

McGee glanced at Dinozzo, questioningly. "The Navy killed our Lance Corporal to ensure he kept his mouth shut," he answered his co-worker's silent question.

"I still have an investigation to conduct," Gibbs scoffed, making his way to the door.

"Yesterday an attempt was made to kidnap Haley Wallace from her foster home in Jacksonville, Florida. Someone else from Wallace's unit found out about this Top Secret mission and obviously is attempting to threaten to expose it by kidnapping the daughter of the only man who knew about it."

"Are you going to inform us of this mission, Sir?," Dinozzo inquired.

"Of course he's not," Gibbs spoke, slowly making his way back to the screen. "What do you want from my team?"

"Agents Dinozzo and David, you're assigned to the protection detail of Haley Wallace until this mission has concluded. Your plane leaving at 0900 tomorrow morning, I suggest you take the rest of the day to pack. Agent McGee, you'll be staying back to assist Ms. Scuito," SecNav informed them.

When they didn't move, he continued. "You're dismissed."

Gibbs began to follow them out when SecNav spoke again. "Gibbs."

"I assume you'll want me to continue with the investigation."

"You assume wrong. You're NCIS's best agent. I want to know where the leak came from."

Gibbs glared through the screen as Jenny finally stepped beside him, handing him a folder sealed shut.

"I want you at the military base where Wallace was stationed. Find out who was aware of this information and where the leak came from."

Gibbs turned on his heel to leave when SecNav stopped him again. "Undercover."

"Sir?"

"I want you stationed in Missouri at Wallace's base. You're instructions are in the classified envelope."

Gibbs flipped through the papers briefly, and then looked up with a scowl. "Sir…"

SecNav held up a hand. "Gibbs I'm many things but I'm not stupid. You're the best man we've got out there but I know better than to send you with someone who doesn't know how to deal with you and considering I have other plans for your team, surely you'll understand that I had to make some…adjustments."

SecNav hesitated, knowing them both too well. "I'm sorry you weren't briefed until now, Director. Surely you can understand the classified nature of this mission," SecNav hesitated before finishing.

Jenny glanced at SecNav, surprised for a moment.

"Jethro, meet your next wife."


	2. Moving Day

Tony spared a glance upwards, a small smile making its way to his lips. "What do you think is going on up there?" Ziva moved around him, checking her gun and locking her drawers.

"Whatever it is, I don't think WE should be waiting around to find out. We have orders and I plan to get some rest before going off on protection detail for an endless amount of time with you."

Tony eyed McGee leaning back in his chair with a silly grin on his face.

"Ow! What was that for?," McGee yelped, sitting up straight in his chair.

"What are you smiling about, Probie?"

Before he could answer…

_Smack!_

"Don't hit your partner," Gibbs ordered gruffly.

Dinozzo rubbed the back of his head, eying his boss thoughtfully.

"Dinozzo, David!," he barked, slamming a desk drawer. "Are you waiting for an invitation? Go home and pack."

Tony had to suppress a smile as he gathered his stuff and followed Ziva to the elevator. "Whatever happened up there must be something juicy," he commented, his eyes glazing over as the wheels in his head started to spin.

"Let it go, Tony," Ziva sighed, watching as her partner moved in front of the elevator doors as they closed, holding two fingers up to his ear; a signal for McGee to call him.

"I can't. I just gotta know," he replied, earning a swift punch to the arm from Ziva.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Cynthia jumped as her boss came through the office, her back and shoulders stiff, a scowl on her face. She stood up as the Director breezed past her and barely got out a sentence. "Something I can get you…Director…," she trailed off as the Director swung open her office door in a way she was only used to seeing Agent Gibbs do.

She sat back down, taking that as a 'no' and briefly wondered what Agent Gibbs had done this time, considering it was usually only he that put her in those moods.

Jenny slammed her office door shut and stalked over to the liquor cabinet. Grabbing a bottle of bourbon, she slammed it back into place, spitefully refusing to grab that as her drink of choice at this moment.

She played over in her mind what SecNav had said. Why couldn't he have briefed her on this before springing it on them both in MTAC. She vaguely remembered wanting to smack the smirk off of Jethro's face as he waited for her to blow up at the situation.

"Asshole," she murmured, touching the glass to her lips and downing the Scotch she poured herself.

It wasn't his fault. Not really. But god damn if she couldn't be pissed off at having to spend the next few weeks or months, however long it took for them to find the leak, as Gibbs's wife.

Actually, she thought to herself. It was his fault. If he'd actually be able to work with others nicely, she wouldn't have to be in this position. She grinned as she poured herself another glass.

Well she was going to show just how nicely SHE was going to play. For one, living with Gibbs was going to be a challenge and if he was going to be a bastard, she was going to make his life hell.

Oh who was she kidding? She slumped down into her couch, rubbing her temples thoughtfully. If she were going to be honest with herself, she may as well do it now.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Jenny Shepard stifled a yawn as she pushed through the front door carelessly, sidestepping the running shoes in front of the door. She flipped her hair back as her gaze followed the trail of clothes leading down the hallway and suddenly she stopped, second guessing her actions.

Placing her hand over her mouth yet again, she shook her foot slightly to kick off the shirt her heel had caught on and made her way to the kitchen.

"Ugh…," she grumbled, closing the refrigerator door as soon as she opened it. "What the hell?" She pushed aside an open Chinese container and searched mindlessly through the empty cabinets, finally coming upon a lone bag of coffee sitting by itself.

With the flick of a switch, she heard the coffee instantly start to brew and made her way through the rest of the house, entering a familiar doorway into the dark abyss of the basement.

She adjusted her eyes to the darkness, noticing only the dim light at above the workbench. For a moment she wondered why she'd immediately come to the basement before the bedroom.

Her answer was right in front of her, lying on the slab of wood holding up his boat. Sawdust covered his shirt and pants and lingered across his face and hands. She lifted her foot and tapped the hammer hanging from his hand, causing it to fall to the floor with a loud ting.

The sawdust specimen sat up rather quickly, causing her to jump back a little and resulting in the loud thunk of head on wood.

"What the hell?," he growled meanly, rubbing his forehead as he blinked the sleep from his eyes, trying to focus on the form in front of him.

"Rise and shine. It's moving day, honey," she cooed menacingly, turning on her heel to head back up the stairs.

"Why are you here?" he demanded, leaning across the boat to peer into his mason jar.

"Our plane leaves in 2 hours. You have 1 to get ready, I suggest you get up."

He rubbed his head again, vaguely wondering what Jenny was doing in his house this early in the morning, then remembering that they were supposed to be moving to Missouri. In a home. Together.

He grumbled and slid from under the boat, the smell of coffee reaching his nostrils.

Jenny stood in the kitchen, leaning against the countertop as she sipped her coffee. She scolded herself for not bringing her own, forgetting there would be no reason for him to have cream or sugar present.

Her breath slightly caught as he marched into the kitchen, stalking over to the coffee pot. His hair stood on end, looking like that of a unruly frat boy after a long night of partying and his shirt fit a little snugly around his torso, showing off some muscles she'd forgot he had.

She glanced quickly down at her coffee as she did not want to be caught gawking at him.

Feeling his hard stare on her, she glanced up at him again, running a hand through her hair. "What?" she asked slowly as his eyes narrowed at her.

"That's my only coffee cup."

Lifting her shoulders slightly, she half-shrugged, wrapping her other hand around the mug as his eyes fall on her cup. "Jethro, don't tell me you don't have any other cup in this house," she raised a well-manicured eyebrow at him, highly disbelieving him.

"I don't," he said almost a little childishly.

She adverted her eyes away from him, pushing off the counter. "You better be packed, we have to leave soon. If SecNav is gonna be hard on my ass, I'm gonna come down hard on yours." She made to move past him when he stood in front of her, blocking her exit.

Her eyes met his, dangerously. "Move," she warned.

"That," he repeated, glancing down at the mug, "Is my only cup."

Clearly he hadn't heard anything she'd said.

Correction.

He _had_ heard what she said but this was a game to him. He wasn't going to acknowledge anything she said until he got his coffee. What she had to figure out was is if this was a battle worth fighting.

"And I said _move_."

The internal struggle was over, she mused.

"I want," he moved closer, almost bumping his chest against her as he eyed the mug again, "that cup."

"I'm aware. Share and maybe I'll consider letting you have the window seat."

She knew she'd got him with those words for she was certain he had no idea what the word _share_ meant.

"Jen," he said, carefully. "This doesn't have to become an issue." With that he made for the mug, but she, interpreting his thought, yanked back quickly, moving aside to miss the slosh of coffee.

He gripped her wrist and they both watched as the mug slipped from her hands, cascading in slow motion towards the floor between them as a loud crash resulted.

She stepped back and crossed her arms. "Are you happy now? If you can't have it, no one can?" Her eyes focused on the pieces of cup splayed across his kitchen floor as she shook her head at him.

"There had better be a cup of coffee waiting for me when I get back," he threatened, stalking back out of the kitchen.

She considered following him but remembered that they were short on time and arguing with him would get her nowhere right this second. She mopped up the coffee with a towel then spotted an empty coffee container out of the corner of her eye.

"Truce?," she asked, standing in the doorway to his bedroom.

Clothes were sticking out of his open drawers and it was clear he didn't spend much time in there as he searched around the room to gather his belongings. He looked up at her and moved slowly across the room, taking the paper cup from her hand.

He moved past her, lugging his duffel bag over his shoulder and she concluded that was the best she was going to get from him now.

"Grumpy," she mumbled, following him out the door.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

She dipped her head slightly to see above her glasses, watching as he shifted in his seat, his face rested in her direction. It had been a while since she'd watched him sleep; peacefully that was. His eyes were relaxed and his breathing slow and normal; she may have even detected the corner of his lips quirking upwards.

Breaking her thought process, the light above the cockpit flashed and the stewardess came across the speaker. Jenny stretched and continued to read the file, she still had another 20 minutes before they landed.

Truthfully she'd read over the file twice now and found it like a good book, hard to put down. It was a story of a perfect life, one of which she and Jethro could have had together.

She blushed at the thought. They didn't have to lead perfect lives like the one made up in their files but this was a chance to see what she missed out on. A life she could have chosen.

A thump came to the back of her seat, causing her to look around the rest of the plane to see if there was any commotion. Jethro mumbled something then adjusted his position, sitting up a little straighter in his seat.

He was awake.

_Thump._

And apparently he was getting the same treatment as she. He glanced around before realizing why he had been woken up.

_Thump thump._

She watched him, slightly curious as he twisted in his seat and peered over the edge of his headrest. Following his gaze, she rested her eyes on a little boy and girl sitting right behind them. She was fairly impressed at only finding out just now that they were there.

They snickered and slumped in their seats, both only looking to be five or six in age. Jenny glanced around the plane briefly, noting two middle aged people sitting in the aisle across from them, asleep.

He turned around and focused his eyes on her. "Kids."

She was only half-surprised that the kicking hadn't bothered him.

_Thump._

Removing the glasses from her face, she sat them down with the folder.

"Finally done reading that thing, huh?," he asked. She didn't have to look at him to detect the smug smile on his face.

"Unlike you, Jethro, I'm not able to screw this up. I'm the Director of NCIS going undercover and my superiors expect more from me."

He lowered his voice, speaking to her in a tone she couldn't help but to find sexy. "You just can't get over the fact that you're playing my wife."

"You would like that wouldn't you?" she snorted.

"Either way, in less than fifteen minutes you're going to get the last name you never wanted."

"Mrs. Ryan McNeil?," she laughed. "Yeah, I always wanted that name, Jethro. Have you even read your file?"

He nodded and waved the stewardess over. "Gunnery Sergeant Ryan McNeil, married twice, currently to Jeremy McNeil, where do they come up with these names anyway?"

"Could you bring me a bourbon?," he asked as the woman approached, giving her the smile he only reserved for when he was being cute.

She smiled and briefly glanced over him at Jenny. "Sir, you do know we're landing soon and the kitchen closes to prepare for the next flight."

"I know," he leaned across the armrest slightly and lowered his voice again, "I need a drink though, ya know…" he nudged his head in Jenny's direction, slowly lifting his eyebrows as the stewardess caught on and returned his smile. He let his eyes linger as he watched her make her way down the aisle.

_Whap!_

He turned slowly as the folder collided with the side of his head.

"Are you surprised you've had four wives?"

"Are you surprised you're number five?," he retorted.

"Didn't have to be," she mumbled so lowly she was surprised he'd heard her.

"Nope, always did save the best for last."

She froze. Was he actually being sincere?

"At least you finally came to your senses," he continued.

Of course he wasn't.

She began to breathe again and wasn't sure if she was relieved he had followed with a joke.

"This isn't real. Let's just get through this like adults and worry about our mission. In public we'll play the part but at home we'll stay out of each other's way. Deal?"

"Like old times," he smiled, flashing back to some pretty heated 'old times' working undercover.

"Yes- No!," she corrected. "Not…like old times." She sighed, frustrated with him. Or more likely herself for letting him lead her into that trap.

He smiled, patting her knee. "Buckle up, honey."

The plane dipped quickly and Jenny felt her stomach jump, grateful the anxious feeling was replaced with something different. She pressed her head back into the seat, the touch of his hand still burning on her thigh.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

"This is it," he said, stepping up to the black vehicle in the middle of the parking lot.

Jenny walked around to the driver's side as Gibbs cupped his hands to look through the tinted windows. She dangled the keys at him and smiled when he held his hand out for them.

"Get in, Sweetie."

He grumbled and loaded their bags into the SUV, watching as she took her seat behind the wheel. Slamming the trunk for extra effect, he got in the passenger seat and reclined.

As she started the car, she glanced at him with her eyebrow raised. He remained silent as she configured the GPS that had already been pre-set for them. "120 Miles?," she said as the GPS showed their route.

He grinned and got comfortable. "Guess you only read the good parts."

She resisted the urge to hit something, particularly him. He had got one over on her, she had to admit that. But if he wasn't going to pay for it with her driving...

An hour and ten minutes later Jenny flicked off the GPS, spotting their house a few feet ahead. How could she miss it? There were only three on the whole road, about half a mile apart from each other. She was proud of herself for proving her point. She'd cut out more than 45 minutes out of their driving trip, only stopping once for the bathroom and to get some coffee and considering she had to drive slower as they'd fought over the radio station before finally clicking it off AND stopping to show her badge once.

Yes, they'd made good time and she was glad to be able to stand up and walk around again. She admired the rather large, log cabin that stood in front of a few acres before their land turned into dark, no doubt deep woods.

Gibbs walked up beside her, carrying all their luggage. He looked up at the house and nodded, making his way up the drive, he glanced around, taking in their surroundings before waiting for her again at the front door.

Apparently she had the keys to everything.

She unlocked the door and looked at him over her shoulder. "Aren't you going to carry me over the threshold?"

"I'm already carrying all your stuff." He replied.

With that, she felt herself being thrusted forward, realizing he'd swung a bag against her ass, knocking her through the doorway.

"How romantic," she said, sarcastically. She trailed off as she took in the house.

Suddenly, she was overwhelmed.

The beginning of the life she didn't choose was starting.


	3. The Couch

Jenny Shepard stood in the middle of the rather large room. It was a beautiful room with a great view to the lake behind the house, but she could not get past the awful colors on the walls. The whole house needed re-decorated in her opinion.

She turned, about to go find Gibbs as she saw him pass by the bedroom door. He took a few steps backwards and dropped her suitcase before tossing her other bag into the room carelessly.

"Was that necessary?"

He gave her a look and kept walking down the hallway and out of curiosity she followed him.

"And what makes you think I'm taking that room anyways?"

"You were standing in it," he replied, nonchalantly.

"So, what, automatically that means I'm taking it?"

"Well, yeah. It's just a bedroom, Jen."

"So I assume since you're standing in here, you're taking this room?"

"Nope," he placed the bags on the ground and knelt to unpack their contents. He unloaded a set of cameras, carefully removing a monitor from a thick case.

She watched as he flipped open his phone and began unpacking everything else. "So what's this doodad thingy hook up to, McGee?"

He sat the phone down after putting it on speaker and began to fumble with some wires.

"What did you say that went to?" he asked, clearly getting frustrated. "This could take a while, why don't you go make me a sandwich or something," he looked over his shoulder at Jenny.

She whapped him on the back of the head. "Don't be a smart ass. Pay attention."

He turned back to the pile of wires and computer equipment with a smile. "English, McGee!," he barked.

"Okay, you guys should be set now. Turn the monitors on for a test and I'll patch you through at MTAC."

Gibbs flipped the switch.

"Nothing happened."

"Boss, you're sure everything is hooked up correctly?"

"I did everything you said, McGee. If I have to put you on a plane to come do this, I will."

"That won't be necessary," Jenny spoke up, bumping Gibbs out of the way.

As she knelt beside him, his eyes traveled along her back. Her pants were tight fitting, showing off her backside in a way he appreciated. He imagined pulling her back, onto the floor with him as he-

"Jethro!"

_Busted._

His eyes shot upwards as he blinked a few times and looked right into those piercing green eyes.

"If you're finished, could you please flick the light switch?" She rolled her eyes at him and felt slightly flushed. Was he just checking her out? And there had been no excuse or denial.

She heard the rapid clicking and sighed, picking the phone up.

"McGee, that would be the problem. There is no electricity."

"I'll call the company and see if we can get electricity in there today. I'll call you back in a few, Director."

She snapped the phone shut and turned to Gibbs, still hearing the rapid clicking of the light switch. She raised an eyebrow.

"That's not going to help," she informed him as if she were talking to a small child.

"The Secretary of the Navy can't even get us electricity?"

"Here." She pushed his phone into his chest. "McGee is going to straighten it out. Will you be okay until then?" she moved past him to her room down the hall.

"No furniture, no electricity, what the hell kind of setup is this?" he followed her.

"The moving truck should be here shortly. Can't you find something to occupy your time until then?"

"Like what?" he crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe.

"You're a big boy, figure it out."

"Christening a new home is usually on a newlyweds' first to-do," he responded.

She walked over to him, raising her eyebrow.

"Is that what you normally do? You know, considering you've been through it four times."

His phone began to ring before he had a chance to answer. "Yah, Gibbs," he answered gruffly.

"What?" he barked into the phone. "I don't care, McGee. I want it fixed. Today." He hung up the phone and glared at her.

As if she read his mind she shrugged her shoulders. "What? It's not my fault the electrician won't come out today."

"You're the Director of NCIS. Do something."

"What would you suggest I do? Go down there and threaten to shoot someone unless they turn it on right now?"

"Why threaten?"

"Don't be impossible, Jethro."

Loud pounding sounded throughout the house as they stood in the doorway to her room, facing off. She raised her eyebrow at him. "Someone's at the door."

"So get it."

She placed her hands against his chest, shoving him into the hallway. "You get it. I need to change."

He stared at the door for a moment as the pounding got louder. He hoped to God that this was either the moving truck or the electrician. Either would suffice right now.

Bounding down the steps two at a time, he swung the door open with a scowl on his face. "It's about damn time."

"Sorry, Sir. But we got kinda lost looking for your place," the man said.

Gibbs looked around him at the truck parked in front of the house. "Good, well then start unloading."

The man stood there, looking at him.

Gibbs waited for him to speak. "Is there a problem?"

"My partner was supposed to help me unload. But I guess he got lost and our phones don't get much service out this way." The mover looked at the man in front of him, unsure of his reaction from the glare he recieved.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Don't you think the couch should go over there?" Jenny asked, standing in the middle of the living room which now consisted of an entertainment stand and now a couch.

He looked up at her as sweat rolled down his face as he and the mover dropped the couch in the middle of the floor. "Right here is fine."

"In the middle of the living room?"

"You're free to put it wherever you want it," he motioned his hands to the whole living room.

She glared at him, then looked to the mover who was just standing there taking it all in.

"Uh, that's it." He finally spoke up.

"What do you mean, that's it?" she asked, clearly frustrated now.

"My partner is in the second moving truck. And I think he may be lost."

"Wait, you're telling me all you had was a few dressers, some kitchen stuff and a couch." The man seemed to back down from her as she spoke to him, afraid to answer her.

"Yes. Ma'am I sincerely apologize."

Gibbs followed him to the door and signed the paper on the clipboard. He closed the door and faced Jenny.

"Don't you smile at me. You're the one who is going to have trouble sleeping on the floor. With no blankets."

He smiled anyways, enjoying her when she was angry. "Better put your coat on."

She glared at him. "Why?"

"Wouldn't want your arms to get all splintered up when you carry all this firewood inside."

"You think it's really going to get that cold out here tonight?" She asked, meeting him outside a few minutes later where he was chopping wood.

"Mhm," he grumbled, wiping his face before throwing another block into the pile that was quickly growing. "Gonna snow."

"How do you know?" She tightened her jacket around her, feeling the wind start to pick up some. At least they had a fire place, she mused.

He stood up another log and grunted as he swung the axe down onto it, splitting it in half. "The sky," he said simply. She stared at his back, watching the muscles ripple under his shirt.

Another piece of wood came flying her way and she jumped a little.

"Help or get out of the way," he said as she glared at him.

"So I have a choice?" She watched as he loaded his arms with pieces of wood and started stacking them against the outside of the house.

"You can freeze, if you'd like."

She decided it was easier to not argue about everything with him and started to stack the wood he chopped. They fell into a rhythm as the sun started to set.

He stopped and leaned against the axe, watching as she stacked the last of their pile.

"Are we done?" She asked, pulling her hair back.

He laughed and wiped his face with his shirt. "You know how fast that pile of wood over there is gonna last? Probably not half the night."

"So why did you stop?" She tried to keep her eyes on his face and off his body. Seeing him like this, doing normal things made him so much sexier to her.

He snorted. "You swing this axe for an hour."

"Maybe I will," she walked over to the stack of logs and he moved out of her way.

She grabbed the handle of the axe and yanked. It didn't budge. Then he was in front of her, pulling her hands slowly up the wooden handle. "It's like a baseball bat. Gotta choke up on it. Now try."

She lifted the axe again, imitating him earlier. She squealed as she swung the axe up and it kept going, the weight throwing her off balance and pulling her back with it.

Suddenly there was a hand on her back, steadying her as he caught the axe with his other hand. She looked at him and smiled sheepishly. "It's heavy."

He laughed, taking it from her. "This thing probably weighs as much as you." She elbowed him in his chest, heading back to the house. "Where you goin'?"

"Inside. I'm cold," she replied, holding her hair to the side as the wind blew it across her face. He shook his head and she watched as he continued cutting the rest of the wood.

She was sitting on their only piece of furniture when he came in from outside. "Cold?" She smiled as he knelt in front of the fire blazing in the fireplace, warming his hands.

He glanced at her, clearly not expecting there to be a fire already lit.

"What? You don't think I'm completely useless do you?"

"Jen," he stood up and kicked off his boots. "You were never useless."

He gave his head a quick shake and she saw the white specks flying from his hair. "Snowing?" He looked up at her, ignoring her question. "Well, I couldn't tell. It was in your hair," she said sweetly.

He tossed his wet socks at her before heading to the kitchen. "Did you bring any food?"

"Yes, Jethro. I brought some from your house," she rolled her eyes, following him into the kitchen. She opened a cabinet, pulling out a box of Velveeta macaroni and cheese.

"Where did you get that? Because I know that didn't come from my house."

"It didn't. I picked it up at the gas station we stopped at. But this did," she held up the bag of coffee, the only edible substance in his house.

He nodded, his eyes lighting up. "Nice work."

"I knew you would forget. And let's get this straight, I did it for me. Not you."

"For you?" he scoffed.

"I know what you're like when you don't have your coffee." She filled a pot with water and handed it to him.

He looked down at it in his hands. "Hold it over the fire. You forget we don't have electricity to heat the stove," she explained as he gave her a puzzled look.

He grumbled and left the kitchen. When she returned with the box, she had to resist the urge to laugh at the sight of him sitting in front of the fire, holding the pot patiently. He looked like a little boy waiting for his marshmallow to toast.

It was growing darker outside and even darker inside the house. The fire was an efficient source of light, keeping the living room and part of the dining room lit up just enough. The light from the flame flickered off his face and she resisted the urge to touch his face and run her hand through his hair.

She stood beside him and took the pot when he handed it to her. When she returned from the kitchen, she took her spot next to him on the floor, holding the pot with noodles and now cheese.

"Where's my spoon?" he asked, watching her dip her spoon into the pot.

She looked at him, taking her bite. "There was only one," she mumbled with a mouthful. "I figured you could eat with your hands."

She smiled sweetly at him, dipping her spoon back into the pot. "You're serious?" he asked.

Nodding, she brought the spoon to her mouth again and squealed when he lunged at her, knocking her backwards onto the floor. With both hands on either side of her he leaned forward and took the bite off her spoon.

"That's good," he said, lingering for a second before letting her sit back up again. She looked at him in disbelief and was thankful for the heat from the fire incase she had to justify the flush across her face.

"I was planning on sharing," she said, watching as he hogged the spoon for more than a few bites.

"I know," he said, his mouth stuffed with macaroni and cheese.

She snatched the spoon back from his hands. They sat in silence for a few moments, handing the spoon back and forth until they were done.

"It's very quiet out here," Jenny commented, leaning her back against the couch. The heat from the fire was too hot to be sitting right in front of and she felt the house starting to warm up some.

Gibbs nodded, standing up. "Where are you going?" she asked as he headed up the stairs. He didn't answer her as he took the stairs two at a time. He returned a few moments later with her carry-on pillow for the plane and a rolled up fleece blanket.

"I found this in the back of the car," he explained, tossing the blanket and pillow onto the couch as he took his seat next to her.

"And where did that come from?" she asked as he pulled out an unopened bottle of bourbon. He never ceased to amaze her sometimes.

"My carry-on," he smirked, tossing a plastic cup to her.

"You don't remember food but you'll bring the bourbon," she shook her head as he filled her glass.

"You complaining?"

"After today, hell no."

They drank in silence, watching the fire flicker and listening to it snap once in a while.

She rested her head on the back of the couch and felt her eyes begin to sag. Before he knew it, her head was on his shoulder, the hand that held her bourbon tilted slightly towards the ground.

He watched her sleep, remembering how much he loved the sight and removed the cup from her hand before it spilled on the floor. Lightly, he nudged his shoulder, lifting her head off of him. She swatted at him and mumbled something, snuggling deeper into his side.

"Jen," he spoke softly, but loud enough for her to hear him.

"Hmm?" she grumbled, parting her lips slightly with a sigh.

They looked so inviting and he had to resist the urge to lean forward and kiss them. "Get on the couch," he told her.

"Mmm okay," she nodded into his shoulder.

He stood up, letting her head fall off of him, realizing she wasn't going to move. Slipping an arm under her back and one under her leg, he lifted her with ease and placed her gently on the couch, putting the pillow under her head.

Her arms tightened around his neck as he moved away. "Where are you going?" she sighed, half awake.

"Shh," he whispered, trying to untangle her hands from around his neck.

The couch was long and wide, comfortable enough for two people to sleep on, but he'd settled with the thought of sleeping on the floor for one night. He had slept in worse conditions on harder things than the carpet of the floor.

She tightened her grip, forcefully grabbing the back of his head. Her eyes opened slightly as she looked at him. "We only have one blanket, don't be ridiculous."

He pulled away from her, afraid of what their close proximity was going to make him do, and stirred the fire, tossing in a few more logs for good measure. He unfolded the blanket and shook it, covering her with it, his eyes meeting hers as she looked at him expectantly, waiting to close her eyes before making sure he was going to get on the couch.

The cold was seeping through the house as the wind whistled outside and he stood there, contemplating his actions. She scooted over and reached for his hand, tugging him towards the couch. "Jethro, lay down."

He relaxed his shoulders slightly and climbed over her legs, reclining onto his back on the opposite end of the couch, pulling the covers across his stomach. "You act like we've never shared a couch before," she said.

"Guess you could call it that. Considering what we shared," he shrugged, pretending to consider the verb. He slipped his feet from under the covers, wiggling his toes in her face, earning a hard smack from her hand onto his foot. "Ow," he growled, narrowing his eyes at her.

She rested her arms atop the covers and widened her eyes. "Don't put your feet in my face, then," she said simply.

"Where else would you have me put them?"

"I don't care, just not in my face. If you wouldn't be such a child, they wouldn't have to _be_ in my face."

"_I'm_ being a child?" he sat up, pressing a finger into his chest.

"Yes. _You're_ being a child," she followed suit and sat up.

"And how am I being a child?" he growled as they faced off for what seemed the tenth time that day.

"You can't just be a grown-up and share a couch with me for one night, considering we have no other options."

"Look, we're sharing a couch," he waved his arms in front of him, showing her the couch.

"You know what I mean. You can't be mature and lay up here with me, no you have to put your feet in my face all night."

"So? What's wrong with my feet?"

"Jethro!" she yelled, clearly exasperated with him.

"Is that what's really bothering you? My feet? I got news lady; your feet are in _my_ face too!" He lifted up her foot to show her, and then dropped it.

She kicked at him, pushing her hand on his shoulder out of a quick reaction. She hated when people touched her feet. "Don't. Touch my feet," she warned him.

He grabbed her hand. "Don't push me."

She yanked her hand, trying to pull it free of his grasp, watching as his other hand disappeared under the covers. "Don't," she warned him with her best glare. Realizing he wasn't listening, panic began to set in and she started to kick her feet, now using both hands to pry his fingers from around her wrist.

He grabbed her foot with his hand and moved his face to avoid being kicked in the face. "Jethro!" she squealed, kicking at him with full force now.

With her free hand she began hitting him in the chest. "Stop," she gasped, trying to control her laughter and avoid freaking out completely.

She couldn't even think straight, the feel of his hands on her feet driving her crazy. She flashed back to him trying to give her foot massages, always resulting in her getting squeamish and kicking his hands away, only to have him try again and get the same outcome.

Without thinking, she grabbed a fistful of his shirt in her hand, yanking him forcefully against her. He obviously wasn't expecting it as he crashed against her, her head tilting to capture his lips as she kissed him. Surprise was his first reaction, his hands releasing her foot and wrist.

Her hands ran up the back of his neck and gripped his hair and suddenly the shock was over as he began to respond, slipping his tongue along her bottom lip. She felt the urge to be closer to him, gripping more of his shirt until he was fully pressed against her.

His hand roamed down her back as his other hand wound into her hair. The need for air overwhelmed them and they parted slightly, still holding on to one another.

He tilted her head back, enough to be able to look into her eyes. He searched for an answer to what they had just done. She only stared right back into his, gulping as she tried to catch her breath.

"Jen-" he said, seriously, but was cut off by the placement of her hand over his mouth.

"I'm not sorry," she blurted out.

He grabbed her hand in his own and held it against his chest. "This is why we can't share a couch together." She was a little surprised with his response as he pulled away from her.

Realizing she still had his shirt bunched in her hands, he looked up at her.

"I let you walk out of my house last time, Jethro. I'm not going to let you do it again." She pulled him to her again, their lips colliding passionately for the second time that night. They fell back onto the couch as he braced himself on top of her-

"Jen," he moaned against her mouth. "Jen," he said again and her eyes opened at the change in his tone. He was shaking her slightly now

"Jen, wake up." She blinked and focused in on his face as she woke up from what was apparently a dream. "You okay?"

"Fine," she nodded, resting her arm across her forehead. Why was she disappointed it was only a dream?

She missed his warmth and shuddered, feeling how cold it really was in the house. He'd been sleeping too she noticed as the fire had died down to almost nothing. Jethro became aware that also and got up to throw more logs on it to get the fire started again.

"Are you cold?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at her.

"I'm fine," she said, trying to hold back a shiver as she tightened the covers under her chin more tightly. This time he crawled back onto the couch behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist as he pulled her against his chest. She snuggled into him, his warmth comforting.

She closed her eyes, feeling his soft breath on the back of her neck, content for the time being.

The dream was a rude awakening and she wasn't sure how she was going to deal with the situation for the duration of their mission.

______________________________________________________

_A/N: I'm sure most of you are hating me right now lol, i almost felt bad for doing it to you. anyways, i appreciate the reviews very much (it helps me write better and want to get these chapters up as quick as i can) keep reading, i'll have the next chapter up asap._


	4. Crossing The Line

_A/N: First, let me say that I feel so bad that its been so long since an update. Work and everything else is just keeping me very busy. So I hope the wait was worth it and the good news is I have the next chapter almost done so it will be up asap. Again, sorry for the wait._

* * *

Gibbs stood at the window of the small office, watching the men run their obstacle courses and march in unison around the base. He dipped his head slightly, flashing back to his days as a Marine.

"Gunnery Sergeant Ryan McNeil," a voice came from behind him as he heard the door shut. He turned and was faced with an older man who reminded him a little of Mike, but not so scruffy. "Major Bernett," he continued, dropping a file onto his desk.

The man sat and flipped through the folder before leaning back in his chair. "Please, sit." He waved his arm to the chair across from him and Gibbs reluctantly sat. "You're orders are from Washington. I've been reading up on your file. It's very impressive I must say."

Gibbs nodded to him. "Thank you, Sir."

"You were transferred in to take Wallace's position, here are your papers," the Major slid a folder across the table to him. "I'll escort you to his office." The Major stood and waved his arm to Gibbs as he followed him from the office. They left the building and walked around the base to another establishment.

For the most part, Wallace's things were still around the office and Gibbs felt a familiar pang in his chest at remembering the little girl the man had left behind.

"His family will be by to pick up his things, so just clear a spot for yourself. Anything else I can do for you, Gunny?" The Major stood in the doorway.

"No, Sir." Gibbs stopped and thought for a moment. "Was there anyone on base close to Wallace? You know, so I could pay my respects."

"Avery Johnson was among some of his friends. Probably his closest. Oh, there is one more thing. Wallace had a dog that was very close to him and the girl. Up until a week ago we were planning on getting rid of it, but upon being informed of your transfer, your superiors instructed that you take the dog."

"Sir?" Gibbs asked, his eyes darkening slightly.

"Take it up with your superiors. But that was an order." Gibbs sighed as the Major opened the door and a large German Shepard ran in.

"Meet Ben. We've been keeping him on base until we figured out what to do with him. I hope this doesn't put you out any." The Major nodded to Gibbs without waiting for a response then disappeared out the door.

The dog hung by the desk, a low growl emitting from him. Gibbs rubbed his faced roughly, glaring at the dog. What the hell was this all about?

"What do you want?" Gibbs huffed, turning his attention to the box holding some of Wallace's items. He picked through a few different hats, some medals and a few pictures he was sure the Sergeant had kept on his desk.

His phone began to ring and answered gruffly. "Gibbs."

"Boss, SecNav wants a telecom with you. Can you get to a computer?" McGee asked.

"Yah McGee, give me a minute." Gibbs stood and sidestepped the dog now lying next to the desk; he began to growl again as Gibbs sat.

"Boss… what was that?" McGee asked.

Gibbs ignored the question and booted up the computer. "Set it up, McGee."

He heard McGee begin to type vigorously on his laptop and without warning a screen popped up onto the computer. The Secretary of the Navy sat in front of him and Gibbs had to hold his tongue.

"Gibbs, I see you've found Wallace's office. Find anything important?" Gibbs sat back in his chair slightly, rubbing his neck. It bothered him that SecNav was handling most of the investigation and he himself was not being informed of everything.

"Forgive me Sir, but I don't know what is going on here and if you expect me to do my job to the fullest, you're going to have to brief me on this in more detail. What was Wallace involved in?"

SecNav turned and was heard telling a few people to leave the room. "I can't tell you everything, Gibbs. This is a telecom, not the best way to share information." He paused for a moment and leaned forward. "Shipments from South East Asia have been coming in to the base where Wallace was stationed. Where you are now. Wallace was originally stationed in Florida, but we transferred him in."

"What kind of shipments, Sir?"

"The kind that people will kill over. Wallace expected heroin distributions, but it goes much further than that. Our men were being killed in South East Asia and some on the home front also."

Gibbs shifted his feet and heard the dog get up and begin to growl again. He heard SecNav chuckle slightly. "Explains the dog," Gibbs said.

"I see you've met Ben. He is a trained drug dog. If there are shipments of heroin coming from out of the country, someone in the states is there to retrieve it. This is bigger than what we originally thought. Find out who is behind this, Gibbs."

"Will do my best, Sir." Gibbs slammed the laptop shut and stood, gathering a few things before looking down at Ben. He walked past him and opened the door, turning back to glare at the growl that came from him.

"Let's go," he said, jerking his head out the door for the dog to follow. He didn't. "Hey!" Gibbs yelled and the dog reluctantly followed behind him, keeping a good distance.

"Avery Johnson." Gibbs said as the corporal saluted him, standing in front of the squad.

"Johnson!" The corporal yelled and a young man quickly ran over to them, saluting them both.

"The Sergeant has a few questions for you," The corporal nodded to Gibbs then left them alone.

"Sir, what can I do for you?" The young man asked.

"I hear you were one of Wallace's closest friends," Gibbs said, trying to lay off the investigative tone in his voice.

"Yes Sir, he spent most of his time with his little girl but once in a while he would get a chance to come out with us."

"Did he have any issues with anyone?" Gibbs asked.

The man shook his head, and then looked up at Gibbs with unsure eyes. "Well a couple a guys tried to rough us up at the club a few nights ago."

"Where was that?"

"Downtown. Josh was edgy that night for some reason and when we left, they followed us outside. Kinda got the impression that Josh knew them, but I wasn't sure."

"What gave you that idea?"

"He was scared of them. Usually a couple of guys try to rough up a few Marines, they're the ones that end up scared."

"Thank you, Private," Gibbs nodded to him and watched as the young man ran off to join his squad.

He headed back to the SUV and saw the dog standing there. "Didn't I say, wait in the car?" The dog tilted his head to the side and just looked at him as Gibbs kept walking. The dog hurried to catch up with him and jumped right into the car as soon as Gibbs opened the door. He sat on the front seat looking at him.

"Move. Git." Gibbs waved his arms to the other side of the vehicle. The dog just stared. He walked around to the other side of the car, watching as the dog hopped out and followed him. Gibbs opened the passenger door and the dog jumped back in. He smiled triumphantly.

"Oh come on," he growled, watching as the dog panted on the window on the driver's side.

* * *

Jenny curled her legs under her as she adjusted herself on the couch, snuggling her nose deeper into the oversized sweatshirt she found in Jethro's room. The house was far colder than it had been the day before and she realized she hadn't brought anything to prepare for it, so she went through his room and found something comfortable. Besides, it smelled of him and that was just as comforting.

"Director, Ma'am, I just emailed the files to you. This is all Abby and I were able to dig up about the base. I have a good feeling someone with upper ranks knew about this," McGee said.

Jenny sighed and rubbed her forehead slightly. The little orange light on the laptop began to blink, signaling the near end of its battery life.

"Good work McGee, Abby," she nodded at them.

"Where's Gibbs?" Abby asked, trying to scan what she could see of the rest of the house for him.

"He went to the base earlier this morning to talk to Major Bernett. McGee, tell Tony and Ziva I want a report on the girl by 0900." With that she shut the laptop, hoping it may save some of the battery power until they were able to hook up the rest of their equipment.

She got up and threw some more logs on the fire just as the door swung open and Jethro entered a scowl on his face. Jenny looked at him curiously, wondering what he was so angry about when a dog ran through the door behind him, jumping on the couch right next to her.

"Jethro?" she asked, slightly confused.

"Wallace's K9," Gibbs explained, throwing his hat onto the table, heading for the stairs. He stopped and looked around, noticing there was more furniture than when he left that morning.

"Movers finally showed this afternoon," she said, watching his eyes move across the room, but continuing quickly about the presence of the dog. "And why do we have Wallace's dog?"

"The Top Secret mission Wallace was assigned to was to find out where and what these shipments are coming into the states. Ben," Gibbs waved to the dog as he began to look around at the random items in the living room. "Is a drug dog," he continued.

He expected her to be mad. To blame him for something; for bringing the dog into the house, maybe. He wasn't happy about it himself, but then he heard her began to speak to the dog. He turned around to find Jenny kneeling on the floor next to Ben, scratching and petting him.

"Glad he likes someone," Gibbs growled.

"He doesn't like you because you probably don't talk to him nice. Dogs can sense those things," she smiled down at the dog. "So what else did you find out today?"

"I'll explain later," he removed his jacket, letting it slip to the floor. "I need a shower." Jenny watched from the bottom of the stairs as he discarded pieces of his fatigues before disappearing into the bathroom. One thing was for sure; she was not picking up after him.

* * *

"Put it back," she mumbled dryly as she inspected the reduced fat soy crackers in the dry foods section. She didn't even have to look at him to know he was throwing some sort of junk into their cart.

Feeling his eyes on her, she glanced at him without moving. "So, what, you get to pick all the food in the house?"

"No, but we're not going to get a bunch of crap either, Jethro," he stood there, watching her. A small smile crept up his lips.

"Temptation too much for ya?" She glared at him and turned back to the crackers she was looking at, examining the fat and calorie content when she heard another item being thrown into the cart.

She leaned over the cart when he began to walk further down the isle and pulled out the Oreos and Chips Ahoy he'd thrown into it. He stopped at the end of the isle and picked something else out. "Heads up!" he yelled as a huge bag of chips came flying her way, landing in the cart.

She pursed her lips, and walked by him pushing the cart quickly around the corner. "What are you doing?" he asked following her.

"Trying to lose you in the grocery store," she gave a fake smile to the two women standing at the end of the isle, conversing with one another. She turned the corner to enter the produce section and was pleased to see that Gibbs had meandered off somewhere else. Vegetables were not his forte.

Jenny picked through some apples, trying to remember what Jethro liked if he even had liked them at all.

"I like the green ones myself," a man said from beside her. Jenny averted her attention to the younger looking man next to her; he looked a bit like Tony. She gave him a small smile, noticing the fatigues he was wearing.

"I like them all," she admitted, picking up a few different assortments. He laughed and handed her a bag, holding it open for her as she dropped the apples into it.

"I can tell. Looks like you had a bit of trouble deciding."

"No, actually I'm unsure of what kind my husband prefers," she said, shocking herself at how easily that word, when it was referred to about Gibbs, rolled off her tongue.

The man's expression changed slightly as if hearing the word husband disappointed him. "I don't see a ring," he said, glancing down at her finger just to be sure.

She bit her lip, cursing herself for forgetting to put it on, when she felt two arms slide around her waist; a familiar touch but hands that she hadn't felt touch her like that in so long. Even before Jethro had put his arms around her, she knew in an instant he was behind her. The young man in front of her stood taller and had an expression on his face that she didn't think she would ever forget.

"Sarge! Sir!"

"At ease, soldier. You're at the grocery store." She heard him laugh in her ear and it made her heart jump a little.

"I like the red ones," he whispered in her ear as he pulled away slightly, looking at her bag filled with a bunch of different kinds. "I see you've met my wife, Private." Gibbs looked back to Jenny and nodded. "Private Anderson, this is my wife, Jeremy."

"Nice to meet you, Ma'am." The Private focused on something on the ground, feeling embarrassed to have been putting the moves on his Sergeant's wife.

Jenny smiled and winked, reassuring him that it was taken lightly. "I need to get back to base. Sir, " the private nodded to Gibbs and shook Jenny's hand. "Pleasure's all mine, Ma'am."

She watched him walk away quickly as Gibbs stepped in front of the cart, standing inches in front of her. "He knows something," he spoke softly to ensure that she was the only one who could hear him.

"What makes you think so?"

Gibbs shrugged and glanced around the store. Jenny snorted and looked up at him. "Because he was hitting on me?"

His head whipped around to glare at her. "Seemed a little nervous and no I wasn't aware."

"Do you know how I can tell you're lying?" she stepped closer to him, repeating his actions to her a time before when they were standing in her study. She cupped his check and patted it roughly. "You're nice."

"That makes absolutely no sense."

She held up the bag of apples he had taken and tied shut for her. "Your secret is safe." She tossed the apples into the cart and went to the vegetables.

"Tonight we'll check out Wallace's hangout," he said, following her with the cart. He couldn't remember doing this for any of the wives he was married to. Come to think of it he didn't know if he ever entered the grocery store with them. He stopped abruptly as Jenny stopped to pick out some asparagus.

Jenny nodded and placed some various vegetables in the cart. She looked up at Gibbs and smiled sweetly. "Is there a problem, honey?"

"Yah," he said gruffly. "Where's all the stuff I put into the cart. And where's all the meat?" He noticed numerous amounts of vegetables and fruits and some low-fat, low-calorie cardboard cracker looking things, whole wheat bread and bran cereal.

"We don't need Oreos. We're going to eat healthy," she replied.

"Yeah if you wanna be cleaning your digestive track every ten minutes," he scowled.

"Stop complaining. We're not done yet."

"Fine. But I draw the line at tofu."

* * *

"This is it?" Jenny asked as they pulled into a parking spot across the street from the bar. Loud music blared from the inside, thumping everything within a few yards of the place. The streets were fairly clean of any debris and the buildings looked newer but the area gave Jenny a funny feeling.

She glanced around and noticed a few men standing on the basketball court connected to the parking lot behind them. They were eyeing her as she stepped out of the SUV and she knew they would be watching her every move. She thought for a moment if they really looked that out of place but upon seeing the other vehicles parked along the street, she noticed some pretty high-end cars.

Jenny pulled her skirt down some more, or at least attempted to. She cursed Jethro for insisting she get a skirt a little shorter than she would have originally liked. "Ready?" Gibbs asked, coming around to stand in front of her, blocking her view of the men in the court.

"You're not serious." She looked him up and down, laughing at the blazer he was wearing. "You have to give that up sometime. I can't go in there looking like this while you look like that." She adjusted her low-cut blouse and smoothed out her skirt again, tossing her hair slightly.

He handed her his blazer and she tossed it into the car, and then turned back to him. She rolled the sleeves of his loose button up shirt up to his elbows, then unbuttoned the top two buttons. She licked her hand and reached for his hair when he took a step back. "Come here," she ordered.

"No," he shook his head.

She grabbed his shirt and pulled him close to her and licked her hand again, forcing it into his hair to mess it up a little. She smiled at her handy work and, taking a step back to look at him. He rolled his eyes. "Done?"

"Don't give me that look," she smiled and looped her arm through his, tugging him across the street. "I think it looks sexy."

Grinning, he let her pull him through the door into the dark bar, where neon lights were the only significant source of lighting. She leaned in close and whispered to him. "What are Marines doing in a place like this?"

He tilted his head, smiling slightly as if he just remembered a past time. "Superior officers would never look for a Marine in a place like this." He looked around, trying to spot any members of his squad.

"So these young men come to a run-down slum like this just to get away with something," she flipped the hair out of her face and snuck up to the end of the bar with him to order a drink.

Jenny knew they or at least Gibbs could not be spotted here just for the exact reason Gibbs had explained. A superior officer could not be seen in a bar on this side of town because such an officer would not be aware of a place like this. And for that reason she wondered how he knew of it.

"Kinda taking a risk coming here, aren't you?" She asked, sipping her drink as he stepped beside her near the wall. There was an overabundance of people in the establishment, between the dancers and the pool tables and the entire bar seats taken, there was no room to even stand.

She noticed Jethro looking at her. "Any familiar faces?" she asked, smiling as if they were having a different conversation.

He shook his head, taking a swig of his beer. Jenny knew he liked it but would have preferred bourbon. But she remembered what he had told her years ago when she was just his Probie; never order a usual to keep those who watch you on their toes.

"The pool table. Avery Johnson. Spoke to him this afternoon and after some digging Abby found a credit card transaction from Wallace's account that led us here." She was impressed that he hadn't missed a beat yet.

"Here alone," she commented.

They both knew that wouldn't be for long, he was probably waiting to meet someone and until they found out who and for what reason, they would have to act like they fit in. Just as they had ordered their second drink four men walked in, two taking a seat at either end of the bar and one who walked over to Johnson with his bodyguard behind him. Jenny turned her back to them, pulling Gibbs closer as she pretended to take a picture of them on her phone but holding it over her head to snap a picture of the trio by the pool table.

She quickly sent it to Abby and faced them again. "How did you get so good at your job?"

Jenny snorted and slipped her phone back into her purse. "Don't flatter yourself. I worked without you for years."

"Mhm," he tilted his beer bottle to his lips again as he heard a few familiar voices behind him. He stood closer in front of Jenny, facing her to hide his face from the three Privates who walked in the door.

"They're headed this way," he said softly.

Jenny watched as the men ordered their drinks from the bar, and then went to a pool table. "Should have grown a mustache," she commented.

"Right. You didn't like the first one."

"I never said that," she said as she sipped her drink again. "Was just …itchy."

"So it's a good thing I didn't grow one," he murmured.

She raised her eyebrow. "I don't have to deal with it anymore."

He narrowed his eyes and shrugged. "You know, in case I have to kiss you."

The bar was filling up by this time and with still no place to sit and fewer space to stand in, they were now leaning in a dark corner near the wall. There were couples near them and Jenny couldn't help but take notice to one couple in particular who were making out next to them.

Gibbs was still standing in front of her with lack of anyplace else to go. "Stop looking around. You're making us look suspicious," she grinned, leaning up to speak in his ear.

He gave her a lopsided smile, getting a whiff of her scent as she got closer to him. She played with the lapels of his shirt, finally flipping his collar up. He looked down at her narrowing his eyes. "What?" she asked, innocently.

"Are you having fun changing my style?" he asked.

"I would never attempt to change _your_ style. I'm just spicing it up," she said sweetly.

"I think it's a little more than that."

"How do you figure?"

"You licked your hand and ran it through my hair," he complained.

Her response was caught in her throat as she felt herself being thrust forward, her hands bracing themselves against Jethro's chest. "Watch it," she heard a voice say from behind her. Jenny turned her head to look at the young punk who was holding his hands out, showing that his drink had splashed slightly onto his shirt.

"You bumped into her," Gibbs spoke up before Jenny had a chance to reply, causing the kid to turn around and come back.

"You say somethin old man?"

"Yah, I said you should watch where you're going," she felt herself taking a step back as Gibbs took a step towards the man. She pressed her hands more firmly against his chest, stopping him.

"We're sorry," Jenny said to the young man as she grabbed Jethro's hand, leading him in the other direction. "For supposed to be keeping a low profile, you're sure making it difficult for us to not stand out."

Jethro knew Jenny was right but for some reason when it came to her, he seemed to look at things differently. He knew without a doubt that he would risk blowing the whole mission if it came to defending her. It wouldn't be the first time he would risk doing it and he was sure it wouldn't be the last; as long as they were in this job together.

"Too late, we've been made," he commented, looking around as he noticed people looking in his direction. Despite the amount of people crammed into the bar they had made a scene and the men at a certain pool table had begun to look in their direction.

The young man whom they had a previous confrontation with was now speaking with the three at the pool table, pointing in their direction.

"Come here," she grabbed him by the shirt without warning, forcing him to trust her and look away and felt her back make contact with the wall. He slammed against her, putting his hands onto the wall to prevent hurting her and felt her hands wind through his hair as she pulled his face forcefully down to her own, capturing his lips.

He responded instantly, coaxing her mouth open with his tongue. They immediately fell into a rhythm that was completely their own but that hadn't been felt in a very long time. Jenny forgot where she was at in that moment, the feel of his lips on her sending her into a trance where it was just the two of them, everyone else forgotten.

She ran her leg up the back of his and felt him cup his hand under her thigh, holding it against his waist, causing her to moan at the sensation. It brought her back to where they were and she pulled her head back slightly, taking a breath as they continued to give each other open-mouthed kisses.

"Are they still watching?" he mumbled against her lips, letting her leg fall back to the ground. He released her lips and kissed the corner of his mouth, giving her a chance to look.

She forced herself to open her eyes, keeping her hand locked in his hair as he moved down her neck. "Umm…" she tried to focus as she looked around the room.

He grinned, knowing he was driving her crazy. Not only had she saved their asses and the mission, she gave him a chance to put his hands and lips on her; something he had wanted to do for a while.

He heard her breathing start to get heavier as she tried to focus and the fact that he was the reason she couldn't gave him a sense of pride. But he needed her to so he let up slightly, murmuring her name. "Jen," he said in a sing-song voice, teasing her but trying to snap her out of it.

Gibbs knew that if it were taking her this long to give him an update she didn't spot them in the bar. He found the sensitive spot on her neck that he knew drove her wild and just for old times sake he nipped at it, darting his tongue out before scraping his teeth lightly across it.

Her head fell back against the wall as she neglected to hold back yet another moan. "I think they left," she breathed, lifting her head as she placed her hands on his chest to push him back, needing to stop him before they got out of hand and because it seemed like the thing to do. There was no need to act anymore for they weren't being watched.

After all, they were acting, weren't they? She shook her head and fixed her skirt, running her hand through her hair. Upon searching the bar with a clearer look, she concluded that she didn't spot them and it was time to go.

"They're gone," she spoke again in a more controlled voice. Grateful the bar was dark enough to hide the flush that fell across her face, Jenny grabbed his hand, not wanting to give up the act if they were being watched and pulled him toward the door.

She dipped her head, shielding her face against the cold rush of air as they made their way out of the bar, wishing she had worn a coat when she felt Jethro come up behind her. He pulled her against him, wrapping his arm around her as she snuggled into his side, the warmth of his body welcoming. As they reached the car he opened the door for her. She climbed inside and took a deep breath.

The ride home was silent and it satisfied her as she didn't know what went on between them at the bar, unsure if he was acting or if she even was. Well, she knew there was a line that was crossed; especially on her part.

The car came to a halt and she lifted her head from the window and got out, following him to the door. She shivered as they entered the house, still without electricity it seemed colder inside than outside.

"Go get warm in your bed," he nodded upstairs. "I'll get the fire going."

She yawned and placed a hand over her mouth as she watched him begin to light the fire. Leaning against the door she knew as well as he did that what happened was going to be discussed because neither of them would admit to anything other than acting. Maybe she was fooling herself, expecting something more from him.

"Goodnight," she whispered to him.

"Jen," he said, causing her to turn on the stairs to look at him. "Thanks for covering my ass."

She laughed and shook her head. "Didn't I owe you one anyways?"

"Think we were even a long time ago."

She snorted and headed to her room, donning his USMC sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants she had stolen from him also, deciding he wasn't getting either back ever and snuggled under the covers in her bed.

She bit her lip, flashing back to the bar. They might be able to write that off as acting but deep down she knew Leroy Jethro Gibbs had kissed her with a passion she had felt before.

* * *

_Next Chapter will be up soon and it's what everyone has been waiting for! TBC_


	5. Peanut Butter

_A/N: Okay, again I apologize for the wait. Things are starting to slow down a bit for me and I have a lot planned for this story so please bear with me. Oh and I promise to start doing some more research, thank you seriously to all who have informed me of my mistakes. LOL. _

_BTW I never had any intention of Gibbs not liking the dog, I was just trying to keep up with his mood. Sorry! Enjoy!_

* * *

"He's dead."

Jenny glared at her reflection in the mirror as she finished washing her face, slipping Jethro's sweatpants off as they fell to the floor around her feet. She ran her fingertips lightly over the circular maroon mark on her neck and clenched her jaw.

She was going to _kill_ him.

Jenny stepped into the shower, slowly easing herself under the warm spray. As soon as the electrician arrived that morning she had made a beeline for the bathroom, hell-bent on taking a warm shower before starting her day. She hadn't even stopped to wake Jethro up, deciding to let him sleep in.

Until now. She wished she hadn't.

When she got out of the shower she was going to wake him in the worst possible way.

The bathroom door clicked open and she peered through the frosted shower curtain, watching as the blurry figure made his way across the bathroom. Throwing caution into the wind she pulled the shower curtain back sharply and glared at his naked back.

For a moment her words were caught in her throat as she watched him stand in front of the toilet, her eyes mesmerized by the muscles in his back.

It was obvious he was still half asleep as he didn't turn around when the rings on the shower curtain slid across the metal bar. She grabbed the nearest item- which happened to be the shampoo bottle- and whipped it at him.

"What the hell?" he grumbled hoarsely, turning his head to glare at her over his shoulder. He tied the drawstring to his sweatpants as he finished and rubbed the back of his neck where a red mark was just starting to bloom.

"Good. That will match the hickey you left on my neck!" she yelled and shut the curtain, determined to pay him back again when she got out of the shower.

She squeaked as the shower curtain was carelessly yanked back open. "What?" he asked.

She turned, covering her breasts with one arm and slapping him in the face with the other from the element of surprise.

"Hey," he rubbed his cheek, scrunching his eyes at her. He didn't seem to care that she was naked in the shower as he was trying to sneak a peak at the hickey he had left on her neck.

She quickly used the hand she slapped him with to cover the spot on her neck just to spite him.

"Get out," she told him calmly.

"No. I wanna see this thing," he said, grinning at the thought.

"Jethro so help me if you don't get out of this shower right now you will wake up tomorrow with a plunger stuck to your face for the biggest hickey ever," she warned.

He wasn't paying attention as she watched his eyes slowly deter from her face and start to make its way down her body. She moved out from under the sprayer, letting the force of it hit him square in the face before his eyes traveled any further.

"Jen," he growled, backing his head out of the shower as she followed quickly with pulling the curtain closed.

"Can I just-" he poked his head in again and she was waiting as she whapped him on the forehead with the palm of her hand.

"Out!" she yelled at him.

"You're gonna have to show me sometime, Jen," he said and she could almost hear the smirk in his voice.

Bastard.

She stepped back under the spray as she heard the toilet flush. Gibbs grinned as he pulled the bathroom door shut softly. He waited at the top of the stairs and gave himself a curt nod as he heard her muffled squeal from the bathroom and bounded down the stairs, whistling.

_Yep. It was going to be a good day._

* * *

Jethro stood in front of the stove, mixing some eggs in one pan and bacon in the other. Ben whined and sat perfectly in the doorway, the smell of the bacon no doubt reaching his nostrils. He wagged his tail quickly, expecting a treat.

Gibbs broke a piece of bacon and tossed it across the room to Ben who caught it swiftly and tossed the other piece up and caught it in his own mouth.

"I didn't know I was living with _two_ dogs," Jenny said, leaning down briefly to scratch Ben on the top of his head.

She glared at Gibbs as she grabbed a coffee mug from the cabinet.

"Is this all the coffee you made?" she asked dryly.

"Yep," he said, throwing the dog another piece of bacon.

"Shame," she mumbled and dumped creamer into the whole pot and began stirring it with a wooden spoon. Finding the sugar, she dumped a significant amount in as well and stirred it before pouring herself a cup.

"Mmm," she grinned dangerously over her mug, watching as he looked at her with his mouth open and eyes wide. "I saved you a step, honey." She leaned against the counter and watched as he threw more food to the dog.

"You're going to make him sick. And I'm not cleaning it up."

"He's fine," Gibbs huffed, refusing to let the coffee incident get to him.

The dog made a low grumbling noise and lay on the ground at Gibbs's feet, waiting for either some parcels of food to drop or for his new owner to throw him some more.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, holding a plate of food out to her. When Jenny reached for it, he drew his hand back and grinned. "Let me see it." She snorted and lunged for the plate to which he held out of her reach. "You only have to do one simple thing."

"Screw you. I'm not hungry anyways."

"Not what I was thinking but that could be arranged," Jethro shrugged and nodded down at the dog. "C'mon," he said as the dog followed him out of the kitchen.

Jenny followed them and sat down on the couch beside him and as she saw him reach for the remote she grabbed it and put on the Lifetime channel. "No," he mumbled through a full mouth of food.

She snuck a piece of egg off of his plate and threw it at him. "Yes."

He grumbled and propped his feet onto the coffee-table, grinning as he watched the dog eat her plate of food. Unable to stand his smirk, she placed her feet on the end of the table and kicked it out far enough so that his feet dropped to the floor.

It was at that moment that Jethro realized she was going to do everything in her power to make sure he suffered all day, which only made him more confident that the hickey on her neck was decent. But he still wanted to see it.

And _that_ was going to be a problem.

"You can punish me all day," he tried to negotiate. "Just let me see it."

"That is so like you," she huffed. "I _will_ punish you all day by _not_ letting you see it."

"Here," he offered her his half eaten plate of food and turned the volume up on the television, causing her to laugh out loud.

"You're pathetic," she laughed, pushing his plate back into his chest. He dropped it on himself, thinking she had grabbed a hold of it and eggs and bacon went all over his shirt and in his lap.

She bit her lip, trying not to laugh at the look on his face. "That's it." As soon as he moved, Jenny jumped off the couch, putting space between them. He calmly brushed the food onto the floor – which the dog was more than happy to clean up – then ran around the other side of the couch.

Jenny squealed loudly and ran to the other side as he chased her. When he stopped at the other end, she stopped at her end too. "Jen, when I catch you, I'm going to give you one on the other side of your neck to match."

With that said he leapt over the couch, taking the easy route to get to her. She ran from him, wondering if he really had intentions of doing that to her. Jenny ran into the kitchen and grabbed the nearest item which happened to be a container of peanut butter sitting out on the counter.

He stopped in the doorway to the kitchen, hands braced on either side of the doorframe with no intention of letting her out.

She grinned and dug her hand deep into the peanut butter jar, holding a fistful in her hand. She tossed it across the room and watched as it splat half in his hair, half on his forehead, then dropped, smearing slowly down his face.

She screamed as he lunged for her and ran through the dining room back around to the living room, taking the jar with her. When she reached the steps she took them as fast as she could, hearing him right behind her. He grabbed at her foot on the last step and she screamed again, looking over her shoulder as she tried to shake her leg free.

Using the jar to her advantage, she scooped out another hefty fistful and smeared it on his face, causing him to let go of her but he was right on her heel as she turned the corner to her bedroom.

She tried to shut the door behind her when he kicked at it, charging her backwards until her legs hit the back of the bed and she fell, grabbing his shirt for support. He landed on top of her, holding himself up to be mindful of not squishing her little form.

She laughed as he tried to look through the peanut butter smeared all over his face. He licked at the bits around his mouth and laughed as he kept his eyes shut, preventing peanut butter from getting in them.

Her laughs died down to a short snicker as she reached up with her thumbs and wiped the peanut butter delicately from his eyes; he opened them slightly, the mess still sticking them shut.

Jenny stuck her thumb in her mouth, eating the peanut butter from it as he stopped laughing also and looked down at her, thinking of how perfect and beautiful her face was combined with her smile and laughter.

"You have peanut butter in your hair," she whispered, smiling up at him as she ran her fingers through the tip of his hair, pulling a glob out.

She swallowed nervously, the realization that he hadn't got up off of her sinking in.

"Jen – " he started softly, his eyes darting to her lips.

Suddenly she grabbed the back of his head with force, leaning up to plant her lips on his. He met her halfway, pushing her back into the pillows as she ran her fingers through his hair, smearing peanut butter all through it. She nipped at his bottom lip, sliding her tongue along his as he opened his mouth.

She tasted him; along with the peanut butter as they explored each other's mouths. Jenny felt his face sticking to her and placed her hands on his chest, pushing him up enough to run her hands slowly down his torso to the hem of his t-shirt.

She tugged at it slowly, letting her fingers dip into the waistband of his pants as she grasped it and pulled it up his back, keeping her eyes locked onto his as he waited for her to remove it.

Jenny lifted his shirt over his head and used it to wipe the remaining globs of peanut butter from his face. He dipped his head back down and captured her lips again without waiting for her to remove it all.

She gasped as his cool hands slid under her shirt and cupped her breast before reaching around to unhook her bra. He parted from her only to pull her shirt off, stopping momentarily to check out his handy work from the night before.

When she glared at him, he grinned innocently and nipped at her jaw, moving down to her neck where he made sure not to overstay his welcome, moving lower as he removed her bra the rest of the way.

"Jethro," she breathed, gripping his hair tightly as he moved down her body, paying extra attention as he removed her pants. She tugged him back up with force and pulled him closer by his pants as she fumbled quickly with the belt and zipper.

Jenny slid her leg up his and hooked her toe into his pants, pushing them down his legs then wrapped her leg around his waist to flip him on his back. She sat up, making sure to grind her hips against the bulge in his boxers as she did so.

He grasped her hips as she reached behind her, slipping her hand under the waistband of his boxers, watching as he closed his eyes and leaned up to kiss her. She bent over him, pressing him back into the pillows as he lifted his hips to push his boxers down his legs.

His hands went to her hips again, digging his fingers into her waist as he lifted her onto him. She moved slowly, taunting him as he pressed back into the pillows.

Jethro leaned up and wrapped his arm around her back as he flipped them, tossing her onto her back, driving into her faster and with more force. She bit her lip, knowing he was going to take his own pace with her after she drove him crazy.

She dug her nails into his back as she pressed her heels into his butt.

"Oh God," she nearly yelled as she kissed him, practically tasting the sweat coming from them both. He broke the kiss and closed his eyes as he felt her start to shake slightly under him.

"Jen," he gasped as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, holding him against her for some fear that he may leave her when he was done. Instead she felt him collapse beside her and turn over on his back.

They were both silent, the only sound in the room was of the both of them breathing heavily. Jethro ran his hand through his hair, which was now clumped everywhere with peanut butter and let out a low chuckle.

"What are you laughing about? You're the one who never wanted to incorporate food into any form of sexual activity. See how much fun it was?" She asked, staring up at the ceiling.

"Oh I see," he mumbled, climbing on top of her again. He looked around the room, spotting peanut butter on the bed sheets and some on the floor. "I see the mess I'm not cleaning up. And I never said I didn't like it."

"Well," she shifted under him, causing him to moan. "I always knew strawberries and cream were never your forte, but peanut butter we have never tried." She lazily ran a hand up his back, slipping it into his hair as she was able to form it into a Mohawk with the gooey substance.

"What a mess," she murmured, finally feeling gross with the sticky peanut butter all over her; she could only imagine how he felt. She pushed him off of her and tried to sit up. "Let's get in the shower and clean up."

He stopped her by refusing to move.

"Wait, wait," he said, holding up his hand. He spotted the peanut butter jar on the side of the bed and grabbed it. "I have a little payback before we get all clean."

"Don't you dare," she watched as he dug his hand into the whole jar and smeared it over her, causing more of a mess than ever. She let out a squeak at the feel of it on her and pushed him completely off of her.

"Where you goin?" he asked, sliding off the bed.

"Shower," she tossed over her shoulder and stepped into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her before starting the water. She laughed as the door was flung open and hit the wall before he came up behind her, turning her around to face him.

He kissed her again and grabbed her ass with his peanut butter hands, lifting her up against him. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his waist and felt the warm water hit them as he stepped into the shower.

Jethro backed her against the wall as he pressed his fingertips into her waist, gripping her tightly as he entered her, clenching her hair on the back of her head to prevent it from slamming into the wall. He tugged at her hair and attacked her neck, sucking slightly as she arched into him.

He rested his head on her shoulder, letting the water run down his face, over his mouth as he sucked in a breath, hearing her harsh breath in his ear.

"Jethro. God," she arched into him gripping the back of his head.

She slid down his body and bit her lip as she felt his arms still around her waist, supporting her until he was sure she was able to stand on her own without her legs buckling. His random thoughtfulness still ceased to amaze her. She leaned up and placed a kiss on his jaw before slowly kissing him on the mouth.

Placing her hands on his chest, she pushed him fully under the faucet, grinning at his surprised gargle. She rubbed her hand through his hair, rinsing most of the peanut butter out before grabbing the shampoo and washing it.

Jenny wiped the soap from his face and off of his eyes as she finished and he took the bottle from her, lathering her hair up next. He slowly massaged her hair as she ran her hands up his back.

He tugged at her hair as he pressed her up against the bathroom wall, kissing her softly as they gave each other open-mouthed kisses under the water. She knew sooner or later they would have to talk about them but for right now she was content to just be with him like this.

Like they used to be.

* * *

Jenny stared at him across the small coffee table, waiting impatiently as he sat expressionless, staring at his hand of cards. She uncrossed her legs and leaned back on her hands, kicking him under the coffee table.

His legs crossed under hers under the table as he thumbed through his cards, resting his back against the couch. "I'm thinking," he mumbled without looking up at her.

"You've been thinking for the past five minutes. Throw a card down, Jethro," she rolled her eyes and sighed, tossing her head back. He tossed in his three cards as she handed him three more.

"Getting cold?" she grinned at him sweetly.

He glared at her, clad now only in his pants; he had given up his socks and shirt in the last two games he lost. She, however, was glad she was only missing a pair of socks.

"Nope," he grinned and lay down his cards. "Full house. What do you got?"

She tossed down her pair of fours and sighed, reaching for the clip in her hair.

"Huh uh," he shook his head. "I want the shirt. That thing in your hair doesn't count."

"It's an article of clothing. Don't tell me it doesn't count."

"It doesn't count," he said simply, giving her a shrug.

She thought for a moment, reaching for the seam of her shirt.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

He tilted his head back and laughed slightly. "Are you trying to end the game?" He tossed his cards onto the table and sat up. "Sore loser," he mumbled.

"Excuse me?"

He widened his eyes at her and with a mocking tone said, "Excuse you?"

"I'm hungry," she threw her hand across the table at him and smirked when rubbed his chin where a card had smacked him and glared at her.

As she began to stand up he grabbed her foot, holding her in place. Raising her eyebrow, she kicked her foot free and squealed when she saw the coffee table being turned over and tossed to the sid and he was on top of her in a second, pushing her back into the carpet. She smiled sweetly as he pinned her hands above her head and stared into her eyes as if he were intimidating a suspect.

"You lied."

"About what?" She scoffed, trying not to laugh at him as he tried to look threatening.

"You made me play the game. I'm half naked," he looked her up and down. "But you, YOU tried to cheat your way out of taking off your clothes."

She shifted under him and pretended to look innocent. "I was hungry." She moved her hands up his abdomen and pushed his chest slightly, forcing him to sit up.

"For food, Jethro," she clarified as a look of disappointment crossed his face. She flipped him over and straddled his naked chest, running her fingers lazily up his torso.

"Do you want to help me...make dinner?"

He rolled his eyes back and laughed at her, causing her to lose the sultry tone in her voice. "What?" she asked seriously, sitting up straighter.

"You're gonna cook?" he laughed again and grinned up at her finally. "Jen, you're lucky if I let you anywhere NEAR that kitchen."

"Oh really?" she got off of him and kicked him slightly in his side as she stepped over him. "Just for that, we're having a healthy dinner tonight. Nothing but greens."

He opened his mouth to protest when he heard the muffled ringing of his phone. "Gibbs," he growled, searching the floor for his shirt.

"3 am. Loading docks on the South side," he heard the unfamiliar voice say then a click to signify the end of the call. He checked the time on his phone then ran up the stairs to get some equipment ready.

It looked like he and Jen were going on a stakeout tonight.

* * *

_A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews, I hope you are all enjoying!_


	6. Underground

Jenny Shepard shrugged her pea coat tighter around her and slipped her gloved hands into her pocket. She let out a long breath and was mesmerized by the misted cloud that formed from the cold air. Inwardly she shivered and buried her nose into the lapel of her jacket.

Jethro was peering through the binoculars, seemingly immune to the cold that she was not. Jenny followed the direction he had the binoculars pointed and sat up a little straighter in her seat.

"Got something?" She asked.

"Nope," he murmured, scanning the area once more before dropping the binoculars into his lap. Jethro stretched his arms slightly in front of him before leaning back slightly in his seat.

Jenny didn't know how he did it. She was aware of his tremendous posture but they had been out here for three hours now and he hadn't even leaned back against the seat to relax a little.

They hadn't spoken a word to each other since they arrived at the loading docks, except for the minor one or two-word questions and answers. Jenny shifted in her seat to a more comfortable position with her back against the door and propped her elbow against the back of the seat, looking at Jethro with lazy eyes.

She tilted her head at him as he kept a straight stare out the window. "Jethro," she spoke, the sound of her voice loud throughout the quiet car.

"Jen," he responded, blinking his eyes to the movement of a black cat slinking its way across the abandoned street. His ability to see clearly in the dark shocked her sometimes as he could see things her eyes had still not adjusted to be able to see in the dark.

"Let's play a game," she offered, quirking a smile at the scowl that crossed his face.

"We're working," he grumbled at her.

"So? We're going to notice when someone arrives at the docks. I'm bored and I'm cold. I need to keep motivated or I'll freeze to death and you'll be to blame," she said simply, twirling her finger through her hair.

"Blame the Secretary of the Navy," he growled, obviously displeased at being in their current position as well.

"I'm cold," she protested.

"Not my problem," he said, unconcerned.

"Don't be a jerk," she said, reaching her arm across the car to shove him in his shoulder.

He finally turned to face her and gave her one of his famous glares; one that would have intimidated one of his Probie's but surely not her. Not that his glare ever did bother her. She always thought it had been kind of cute.

As if that was all he needed to do to warn her, he slowly turned back to the window, focusing his eyes back on the docks. She should be watching too but she knew they weren't going to miss anything; he could see in the dark better than she could anyways.

Jenny smirked and bit her lip as she shifted again in her seat, scooting closer to the center of the car to be closer to him. Slowly, she placed her hand on his knee and slid it up his thigh, letting her fingers trail lightly over the rough denim of his pants. She twirled her finger further up his waist, over the cold metal of his belt buckle and shoved her hand viciously up his shirt.

He gasped when her cold hand touched his bare skin and smoothed out his shirt roughly, forcing her hand out from under it. Jethro turned his head sharply to look at her. "Don't do that," he barked at her.

She grinned evilly and raised her eyebrow at him. "Don't ignore me," she quipped.

He held his hands out slightly and rolled his eyes. "What do you want me to do, Jen? Pull you into the back seat and warm you up?"

"There's an idea," she turned her eyes to the ceiling of the car, pretending to contemplate it as she sat back in her seat again.

Jethro ignored her comment as he figured giving it too much thought was going to make it unbearable to not yank her in the back and steam up the windows with her. They had a job to do, one that SecNav was counting on them both to pay great attention to. It wasn't like the old days anymore; they couldn't mess around like before. Especially Jenny. She was the Director of NCIS now, not just his partner.

He rubbed his forehead and stared out into the darkness ahead, watching the moon light ripple across the water as they fell into another silence.

Another half an hour passed as Jenny started to feel the cold seep through her again. She was fairly certain an hour ago she was numb but her fingers were starting to feel like icicles. She bit the tip of her gloves and yanked them off her hands, deciding to rub them up and down her legs to create the friction she needed to warm them up.

A rough, larger hand clasped over hers as he brought her hand up and held out his other for hers. She raised it to him and he enclosed her small hands inside his own, creating a cocoon for them as he breathed through his thumbs.

He averted his eyes from the docks and looked up at her as he blew hot air onto her hands, massaging them to keep them warm as he did so.

After a minute or so he un-cupped his hands from around hers and kissed each of her hands before releasing them. "Better?" He asked in a low voice.

She refrained from biting her lip at the sweet gesture and nodded, not knowing what else to say. Leroy Jethro Gibbs had just rendered her speechless; not for the first time but it had been a while since any man had.

He gave her a swift nod and turned his attention back out the window as she shoved her hands back into her pockets, wanting to savor the warmth before they began to get cold again.

Suddenly bright lights were shining through the windows as a truck pulled up. She felt Jethro's hands as he fumbled for the binoculars and sat up to try to see what was going on.

As quickly as the truck had appeared, the lights were back on and it was moving out again.

"Drop off?" She asked, pulling her gun out of her waistband to check the clip and snap it back into place.

"Mhm," Gibbs mumbled, doing the same as they exited the car and hurried along the edge of the wooden docks in the pitch dark. They stopped behind a brick building and checked their surroundings, looking for another car or anyone waiting to collect.

He watched the docks as he leaned back behind the building, watching Jenny run back up to him from the other side. She nodded to him, signaling the area was clear before they ran up to the small shack in between the buildings where the truck had been.

A small padlock hung on the wooden door and as Jenny reached for it, he held out his arm to block her. "It's still frosted. This isn't the way in. It's a decoy," he explained as he glanced around the door, feeling up the sides of it.

"Decoy?" She whispered, helping him on the search for the correct entry-way, sliding her hands up along the wooden panels.

"It's a sensor," he added.

"A sensor?" She asked, stopping to look at him. "Do you think it's a trap?"

"Dunno," he mumbled.

Jethro stepped back from the side of the house and narrowed his eyes, looking at the scuff marks along the wood. He took a few more steps back and lunged at the side of the building, using the leverage and the leap to get high enough to grab the roof, pulling himself up.

He peered over the edge at Jenny who was watching him with a blank stare. She took his hands as he leaned down as far as he could for her and she used him to walk up the side of the house, trying to keep her feet from sliding back down the wall.

Jenny took a deep breath and gave all she had to grip the edge of the house when she felt two strong arms grab her waist and pull her up completely. He smiled down at her when she gripped his hands at her sides for support.

"Thanks," she said sheepishly, missing his warm body against hers as he walked across the roof carefully. She looked around as she tightened the ponytail in her hair. From what she could see, the buildings on either side of them were two stories taller than the one they were on which made it perfect for them to walk around the roof without being seen.

"Here," his voice beckoned her to the other side of the roof where he had a latch slid open. He shinned his flashlight into the hole to survey the area, then handed it to her as he slipped easily down the hatch. She dropped him the flashlight and he held it for her as she followed suit and jumped into the building.

There were a few chairs, a couch and a desk in the room and a bunch of random boxes lined up against the walls like someone had just moved in and forgot to start unpacking. Besides the small bathroom at the end of the hall it looked like nothing more than a studio apartment would look like.

Jethro started going through some boxes, tearing them open and shining the flashlight inside.

"We're going to be here all night," Jenny stated, starting on the other side of the room.

After what seemed like fifteen minutes, neither had come up with anything yet. "Jethro -," she stopped short when the heard the low rumble of what sounded like a small SUV approach. Their eyes met as Gibbs immediately looked around the room, remembering he had left the hatch in the ceiling open.

He braced his shoulder against the large desk close to the wall and dug his feet into the ground trying to move it, gritting his teeth together as he felt the weight of it. Jenny stepped along side him and together they moved the desk under the hatch.

After closing it, Gibbs jumped off the desk and heard a hollow thump below him. "Flashlight," he whispered, holding his hand out to her.

He shined it along the floor where you could barely see the outline of a small square in the wooden floorboards. Jenny was next to him, standing in front of his back with her gun drawn, prepared for the intruders to enter the hatch at any moment.

She felt the cold rush of air as her pant leg was lifted and she felt the cool metal of the Swiss knife that had once belonged to Gibbs slide up her leg as he used it to prop open the floor boards.

Jenny looked up again, pointing her weapon to the hatch as they heard thumps along the roof. "Jethro," she warned. When he didn't answer she looked down to where he had just been a few moments ago now in his place a dark black hole.

He shined the flashlight up at her and waved his hand. "Come on," he yelled just as the hatch in the ceiling was being opened. Jenny holstered her gun quickly and lowered herself warily into the hole as she felt her feet hit something firm but a lot softer than ground.

Realizing it was Jethro's shoulders; she lowered herself with more ease and pulled the hatch shut just as she heard the voices dropping into the room. She rested herself down on his shoulders when she felt him grip her legs, and then slid down his back, dropping her feet silently into the water on the ground.

There were tunnels leading in every direction from what she could see as they both remained quiet while the voices upstairs became louder.

"Stupid idiots didn't even push the desk back when they left. They're going to get us caught!" a man yelled then a loud crash came as they heard them walking around.

"Cool it man, let's just get our stuff and be gone. We can deal with this later," their voices trailed off as she felt Jethro grip her arm and tug her down one of the tunnels. She fumbled behind him, again cursing his spectacular sight in the dark.

Jenny struggled to keep up with him as they made their way down the pitch black tunnel, her eyes still failing to adjust to the darkness when she suddenly smacked into something.

She rested her hands against Jethro's back as she stopped herself from completely plowing into him. "Jethro, " she said when he turned and pressed two fingers to her lips.

Swatting his hand away, she was about to ask him again why he stopped so suddenly when she heard water sloshing behind them. Jenny focused her eyes on him as much as the dark would allow and saw him surveying the area. She felt a cool breeze hit her from the left and grabbed his arm, pulling him into the small cove next to her.

Gibbs pressed against her tightly as he fought to stay out of the nearing beams of the flashlights prodding down the tunnel. "We have to get out of here," she whispered up at him, their breaths mixing in their close proximity.

He knew she was right as the voices got closer. Jenny felt his hand brush her thigh and grab his gun. She placed her hand over his and held it there, glaring up at him through the dark, knowing he could most likely see her.

"Do you want to blow this investigation?" She whispered harshly.

"Is that all you're worried about, _Director_?" He retaliated in a low whisper.

"Jethro, don't be stupid. Do you want to start a gun battle in the dark down here?" She smacked him in the chest as if she was forcing him to be convinced.

"Jen," he growled, pushing her hands away from him as he pressed her further into the wall.

The water stopped sloshing suddenly and the flashlights diminished, leaving them in the darkness. Jenny gulped, wondering if he was right and this time didn't stop him when she felt him reach for his gun, instead opting to do the same and reach for hers as well.

She felt Jethro back away from her as he moved to the other wall, holding his fingers up to her, counting to three. Still hearing no more movement, they slowly stepped out, guns drawn. Backs to the wall, they moved along the tunnel the way they came.

"There!" She heard someone yell as shots were fired. She wasn't sure who was firing as she ducked against the wall, pointing in the direction she knew Gibbs wasn't. Suddenly she felt a strong hand grip her arm as she was yanked to her feet and pulled quickly down the tunnel.

"Are you alright?" Jethro asked her as he continued to pull her along with him, guiding her through the dark to make sure he didn't lose her.

"I'm fine. Are you okay?" She grabbed his hand, running along side him. She heard another shot sink into the mud on the wall to the left of her and tripped as she felt herself being pulled forcefully into a quicker run.

They turned another corner and she felt herself being propelled to the right as Jethro disappeared. She winced as she felt the bruise start to form on her lower buttocks and propped herself against the wall, frantically searching for Gibbs.

She heard no splashing, no running, no gun shots; just her own breathing. She swiped her hand over her face as she gripped her gun tighter and stood up, looking around the corner from where she and Jethro had just been.

"Don't move," she heard a loud whisper come across the tunnel. Jenny shot her head up, pointing her gun in the direction of the voice when she saw Jethro standing on the other side of the tunnel in a hole in the wall. He held up his hand to stall her as she heard the soft sloshes of the water again.

Jenny stayed in position as she saw the figure round the corner. "Well, hello there beautiful," a male voice said. She gulped and before she could remove the safety from her gun, Gibbs was behind the man, arms around his neck.

She grimaced at the loud crack that followed and shut her eyes just as the man fell limp to the ground. Jenny watched as Jethro pulled him into the spot he had just been and removed his ID from his wallet before running over to her.

"Let's get out of here," he said, taking her shaking hand in his own.

"We can't go back the way we came. Surely they have someone waiting at the entrance. They know we're down here," she said in a low voice, trying not to let him know she was actually worried.

"Trust me," he told her. And she did. She trusted him with her life; more than she trusted anyone.

They ran for a few minutes, taking turns here and there and she wondered how he knew where he was going. Her foot twisted beneath her and she felt a sharp pain as she dropped to her knee, holding her ankle.

"Jen." She felt him kneel down beside her, flashing the light on her ankle. "Did you break it?" He asked and she laughed softly, wincing through the pain.

"Did anyone ever tell you, you're starting to sound like Ducky?" She asked.

"Jen," he warned, repeating himself.

"No. Jesus Jethro, I just twisted my ankle."

"I told you, Jen. Stop wearing damn heels when you're in the field."

She slapped his shoulder roughly, using his shoulder to push herself off the ground. "I'm fine. Let's get the hell out of here."

He stood and watched her start to make her way down the tunnel as she held onto the wall, limping slightly and caught up to her, putting an arm around her waist.

"We're lost," she succumbed to her pain and emotion after a few more minutes and rested against the wall.

"We're not lost."

"Oh you're such a man. Drive around the same area for over an hour and you're still not lost. Except we're in a damn tunnel where it's darker and cold and someone is trying to kill us. But no, we're not – " She was cut off by Jethro placing his cold hands on her face, lacing one of them through her hair as he captured her lips with his own, kissing her fiercely.

She melted into his kiss, forgetting the situation they were in. He pulled away, sensing both of their need for air and rested his forehead against hers.

"Was that to shut me up or because you've just been dying to do that?" She breathed against him.

"If you have to ask…"

He got serious again and stepped away from her a little. "We're going to get out of here. This way," he helped her along again.

"How are you sure?" She questioned.

"I feel a breeze coming from the north. We entered through the house at the west, so I know we're not going back the way we came. There has to be another exit," he explained.

"At least you learned _something_ in the Marines," she shot at him, then yelped when he slid his hand down her waist and pinched her butt.

"Aha," he said triumphantly as they neared the end of the tunnel where a wooden door proved to be what she hoped was a second exit.

She rested against the wall again as he approached the door, turning the handle.

"Big surprise, it's locked," she said.

Jenny watched as he ran at the door, shouldering it a few times before finally he fell through it. "Okay?" she asked him as he came back to her, rubbing his shoulder.

He nodded and she knew he wouldn't tell her even if he was semi-hurt. But she was used to it so she followed him through the door down another tunnel. The water they had been walking in suddenly started to get deeper until they were both knee deep in it.

"What the hell?" Jenny asked as it started to rise higher and higher. "The water is rising."

"No," Gibbs said gruffly as he stopped. "The tunnel is slanting down."

"Look," Jethro helped her along the tunnel until they were at what seemed like a small circular pool. "This is the end of the road," he mumbled.

"Now what?" She asked.

"We swim," he looked at her as he removed his top shirt, leaving him in a t-shirt, and pulled off his shoes.

"Swim?" She squeaked, disbelievingly. "Are you serious? That water is freezing and we don't even know where it leads."

"Jen, its here as a second exit. They're hording illegal substances down here; do you think they're going to have a few stairs that lead out?" He brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face and smiled through the dark. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

He knew she didn't swim much; her fear of water stemmed from a young age he found. At least water of this kind of nature; dark and unsure.

"And if I drown?" she countered back, removing her shoes and the winter jacket she was wearing.

"I won't let you go," he assured her as he checked their jackets to make sure no personal items were in them, then tossed their things into the cove on the side. "Are you ready?" He asked, stepping into the water up to his neck. He disappeared under the water for a moment, then returned.

"I found the hole that leads up. Don't let go of my hand," he said, helping her into the water. She shivered and her body shook slightly from fear of not finding their way out in time.

"Ready?" he asked again, giving her a moment to prepare herself.

When he took her silence as a 'yes', he made to go under when she blurted out, "No. I'm not ready." Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at him, all the emotions and fear of being down there with him taking its toll on her. She loved him so much right now and she knew that she never stopped.

He saved her life, which was nothing new but right now it meant everything to her. Maybe it was because she was scared but she knew that deep down she loved him with everything she had and she wanted to tell him.

"Jen," Jethro's voice broke her out of her reverie. "Sorry to interrupt your thoughts, but we have to move. Now," he said, gripping her arm. She turned her head to see the approaching flashlight beams again and took a deep breath as she was pulled under water.

She blinked a few times, seeing musk and dark yellows and greens as she held onto Jethro's hand, swimming hard to keep up with him. He stopped swimming and turned, pulling her into another direction; thankful that he was taking the lead. But panic hit her hard when he turned. Was he lost? Were they going to drown down here?

Jenny gripped his hand tighter and felt her chest cramp up as she began to lose it. Just when she thought she was going to pass out, she felt ice cold wind hit her and the deep breaths of the cold air as her lungs remembered how to breathe.

She would probably get a cold after this as she felt the winter air enter her lungs but right now she was just glad to be alive.

Her body was tired as she treaded, swimming to the shore with Jethro. He smiled at her, watching her struggle to continue to swim. "Jen," he said and she could hear the smile in his voice. "Stand up," he whispered, his breath hot in her ear.

Embarrassment set in as she placed her feet on the sand, standing up with the water at her waist. She felt his warm arms wrap around her as he helped her quickly to their car, which surprisingly had not been tampered with. He helped her into the car and knelt on the ground quickly with his flashlight to make sure whoever was chasing them had returned to the surface and figured this car was theirs as it was the only one present.

Starting the car, he jumped in next to her and drove off, the disappointment finally settling in that they hadn't found anything down there and now whoever's hiding spot it was knew they were onto him.

None of that mattered now to him, he thought as he glanced at Jenny in the seat next to him; her lips purple and her body shaking. He turned up the heat and sped home, intent on getting Jenny warm.

* * *

Jethro screeched to a halt in the driveway, walking around to help Jenny out. "Jethro, I'm fine. I twisted my ankle and you're acting like I got shot."

"You're freezing," he commented, ignoring her statement as they entered the house. He helped her up the stairs and led her right down the hall to the bathroom.

Jethro turned the shower on before pulling her over to him. "Here," he said, carefully tugging her wet shirt over her head, then kneeling in front of her to shimmy her pants down her legs. As he stood up, she slid her hand under his shirt, peeling it up his chest like he'd done with her.

Jenny let her hands linger on his chest, pressing her palms into his muscles, loving to feel them twitch under her hands. She stopped at the waistband of his pants, sticking two fingers down them as she pulled him against her, backing into the sink.

"Jen," he stopped her. "You need to get in the shower."

"I'm a big girl, Jethro," she purred at him. "Besides, I'm warm now." Jenny grinned up at him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she pulled his face down to hers, kissing him softly.

When she tried to deepen the kiss, he backed away from her, reaching around to undo her bra. Jenny unbuttoned his pants, pushing them down with his boxers as she hopped onto the counter, pulling him close by wrapping her legs around his waist and kissing him.

She grinned as he lifted her off the sink, turning abruptly to enter the shower with her wrapped around him. Jenny relaxed under the warm spray of the shower as she held tightly to Jethro.

He pressed her up against the wall roughly, entering her as he did so. She gasped and tightened her heels into his butt, arching against him. She held onto him, scraping her nails up his wet back as she felt his hand grip her hair and preventing her from hitting her head against the wall.

"Jen," he grumbled in her ear, his hot lips trailing along her skin as he found the spot on her neck again.

She bit his shoulder, saying his name as she felt her legs go weak and she struggled to hold onto him. He slowly helped her down as she slid down his body, standing on shaky legs in front of him.

He rested against her, his breathing heavy in her ear. "Jethro," she laughed, pushing against his chest. "Are you really that old?"

He pulled back quickly, his eyes glaring into hers. "Old?" he scoffed.

Jenny raised her eyebrow at him. "Or maybe you've just always sounded like that. I'm not so sure anymore."

Without another word, he reached behind her and lightly tapped her on the back of the head, earning him a loud crack to his chest as her hand made contact with it.

"I'm not one of your Probies. Don't hit me."

"Don't call me old," he countered.

"So you want me to lie?" She smiled sweetly at him, reaching for the shampoo bottle. She jumped when he goosed her and turned to smack him again with the soap bottle.

"Jethro!" She shrieked as she felt him empty the container of bathsoap down her back.

"You're dirty," he explained, using her loofa to work in the soap. When he got up a lather, he dropped it to the ground and used his hands, spreading soap down her back and around to her stomach where he moved his hands up.

She moaned, feeling him press his back up against her. His hands slowly worked their way back down her stomach, past her navel. "Jethro," she moaned again, dropping her head back onto his shoulder. Turning in his arms, she gave him an exasperated look.

"We're never going to get done," she sighed contently, wrapping her arms around his neck as she met her lips with his.

* * *

By the time they got out of the shower, the sun was beginning to come up. Jenny snuggled in her bed under the covers, clamping her eyes shut at the light coming in through the window.

She hated trying to fall asleep with the light pouring in on her, but she was so tired from the night they had that all she cared about was sleeping. When she woke up, she realized the light was gone.

Confused for a moment, she looked around. It was dark outside, except for the faint beam of the moonlight. She rolled over, feeling something moving next to her. Expecting Jethro, she turned over with a smile and was greeted with a kiss.

A big, wet, slimy dog kiss as Ben licked her face. "Ugh!" She yelped, backing away quickly, swiping the dog saliva from her face. Then realization hit her; if Jethro wasn't here, where was he?

Jenny reached over the bed, searching for the alarm clock that had been tossed to the floor in her and Jethro's explorations with the peanut butter. She rolled out of bed, wondering how the hell she slept until five in the evening without even hearing Jethro throughout the house.

She tilted her head to the side as she sat up in bed and ran a hand through her hair, trying to straighten it out some, suppressing a yawn. Ben stretched beside her, wagging his tail as she looked at him.

"Don't get used to this," she told him, scratching his stomach. He whined and jumped off the bed when she got up.

She followed the noises down the stairs and opened the door by the laundry room with curiosity. The noises got louder, with the loud scrapings and quiet footsteps. Upon reaching the last step of the stairs, she looked around.

"If you're barefoot, don't come down here," Jethro said, peeking around one of the few wooden slabs he had in the basement.

"Jethro," she said, curiously. "I didn't even know there was a basement."

He chuckled softly and dropped his sander, walking around to the small make-shift bench where he had some random tools.

"Well I guess I knew, I just didn't know we were using it," she continued, ignoring his comment about not coming further down and she was barefoot. She made her way over to the bench, running her fingertips along a hammer.

He scraped at the wood he had in front of him, watching her out of the corner of his eye. "A table?" She asked, walking over to the beautiful piece of work he had been working on for a while now. "How long do you think we're going to be out here? We really didn't need a table," she said.

He shrugged, without looking up. "Well, I figured you could use it. You don't have a kitchen table either."

She smiled at that, running her fingers along the smooth wood of the legs of the table. "Never did get another table after we broke the last one…" she trailed off, flashing back to her memory. She heard the scraping stop and knew he was remembering also.

Jenny walked up behind him, watching his shoulders clench through his shirt as he began shaping the piece of wood again. She stepped in front of him suddenly and grabbed the tool. "Show me," she said softly.

A little taken back by her subtlety, he paused before placing his hands over hers, moving them slowly in a rhythm until he let go and she was able to do it herself.

"Ow," she gasped slightly, holding her finger up and glaring at the rather large piece of wood imbedded in the tip of her finger.

Jethro peered over her shoulder, glancing down at her finger. He reached around to grab her wrist when she yanked it from him. "It hurts."

"I didn't even touch it yet. Turn around," he pulled out the workbench a little and patted it. "And sit down."

"It'll be fine. I'll run it under hot water and it will come out." She held her hand in her other and leaned away from him, acting as if he were going to hurt her.

"Jen," he reached for her and she pulled away again.

"No," she said harshly.

"Would ya stop bein a baby and get over here?" he grabbed her wrist this time and pulled, forcing her towards him. He glared down at her, daring her to move away from him with his eyes. "Sit," he repeated.

She rolled her eyes, playing along, and sat on the workbench in front of him. Jenny could hear him fumbling around next to her as he searched for something; probably a needle to retrieve the splinter from her finger.

He slid on his glasses and held a flame from a lighter over the end of the needle for a few moments. She smiled, parting her legs slightly so he could stand in between them.

"What?" he mumbled, flicking his eyes to her.

"Always thought you looked sexy with glasses on," she said and giggled when he rolled his eyes at her.

"Hold still," he said, grabbing her hand. She sucked in a short breath when she felt him get near her finger with the needle. "Jen," he growled, holding tighter to her hand. "I haven't even started yet."

"Ow!" She yelped as he squeezed her fingertip, trying to push the splinter out. "Jethro!" She yelled, trying to yank her hand away.

He sighed and stood back slightly, glaring at her again. "You're making this harder than it has to be, Jen. If you would just sit still…"

"It hurts! _You_ sit still while I shove a needle in _your_ finger," she said icily to him.

This time when he grabbed her hand, she tried to be as still as possible. She tilted her head back as he pressed harder on her finger and just as she thought it would never end, he pulled away. She looked down at her finger and watched as he swiped his thumb over it to remove the small drop of blood there.

Jethro brought her hand to his lips and kissed her fingertip. "Was that so bad?" He asked.

She nodded and scooted toward the edge of the bench, parting her legs further around him. "I feel like I should reward you," she purred seductively, gripping a fistful of his shirt in her hands.

Jethro grabbed his glasses when she placed a hand over his. "Oh no, the glasses stay on, Professor."

She leaned up, capturing his lips with her own, kissing him as she pulled at the hem of his shirt. The workbench wobbled as she moved to wrap her arms around his neck, causing her to hold on to him in fear it wouldn't be enough to support their actions.

He grinned, deepening the kiss as he lifted her off the workbench, carrying her over to the fresh kitchen table he made; sitting her on top of it. She pulled back when she was breathless and stared at him with glossy eyes.

"Jethro, so help me, if we break another kitchen table…" she trailed off, squealing as he pushed her back on the table.


End file.
